KUALA LUMPUR: A Hindu doctor stationed on the periphery of Sarawak has expressed concern over the differential treatment they are subjected to, given that they will be unable to return to the Peninsula in time to celebrate Deepavali with their families.
This is because Deepavali is not considered as a public holiday in Sarawak hence the doctors will not be eligible for unrecorded leave despite hailing from the Peninsula.
"A lot of us Indians go all the way to Sarawak to help with the understaffing. Mostly teachers, doctors and police.
"We get thrown so far away from our hometowns to serve Sarawak and yet once a year when we have Deepavali celebration that falls on a Sunday, they can't even have the decency to give unrecorded leave," he said to the New Straits Times.
Since Deepavali falls on a Sunday, the doctor said they would need to fly back home and back to Sarawak over the weekend and should they want to extend their celebrations, they would need to apply for Annual Leave.
He added that it was no surprise that most contract doctors had rejected offers to be posted in Sarawak as they could not even have unrecorded leave to celebrate their festivity.
"The government keeps asking why young doctors are rejecting offers (to be posted in Sarawak). Isn't it obvious? It's clear cut discrimination," he said.
In July, Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni revealed that more than 200 doctors out of 800 offered contract positions to serve in Sarawak had either turned down the offer or failed to report to work.
The doctor noted that the chronic severe shortage of staff was causing delay of treatment to patients in all departments.
On Monday, the government has agreed that the unrecorded leave for Deepavali, which falls on Nov 13 would be brought to Nov 14 for Hindu civil servants in states that observe Sunday as their weekend rest day.
Public Services Department (PSD) director-general Datuk Dr Zulkapli Mohamed said the matter was subject to acceptance by the respective authorities.
He said that beginning 2018, the government had agreed to give Hindu civil servants one-day unrecorded leave on the day after Deepavali to celebrate the Festival of Lights.
The extra day of unrecorded leave applies to all states in Malaysia except Sarawak, which does not observe Deepavali as a public holiday.